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Ok, what is the best source (website etc) to find out what the industry is paying for given job position or to determine what is your own market "value", based on the position, years of experience etc.
I tried few websites (Glasdoor.com, salary.com, indeed.com...) but the results I am getting are all over the place.
For the same job the average payment vary by $20k-$30k on these websites. It just doesn't make any sense.
Do you know what tools employers are using to determine how much industry is paying?
Thanks in advance.
Ok, what is the best source (website etc) to find out what the industry is paying for given job position or to determine what is your own market "value", based on the position, years of experience etc.
I tried few websites (Glasdoor.com, salary.com, indeed.com...) but the results I am getting are all over the place.
For the same job the average payment vary by $20k-$30k on these websites. It just doesn't make any sense.
Do you know what tools employers are using to determine how much industry is paying?
Thanks in advance.
It doesn't make sense because wages vary by the cost of living in different regions. Try typing in Wages for (insert occupation here) in (insert state or region here) and you may find something more specific to where you live.
It doesn't make sense because wages vary by the cost of living in different regions. Try typing in Wages for (insert occupation here) in (insert state or region here) and you may find something more specific to where you live.
It doesn't make sense after trying exactly what you are suggesting, thats what I am saying. I was only using my zip code. I thought there may be some website that is "official" that companies are using it, but oh well....
It doesn't make sense after trying exactly what you are suggesting, thats what I am saying. I was only using my zip code. I thought there may be some website that is "official" that companies are using it, but oh well....
Variables would also be there for wage commensurate with experience and education. You might be seeing the highs and lows of the field and who you work for - say a small buiness vs. a major corporation and things of that nature..
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This is a case where anecdotal evidence from members will probably give the most realistic results. Just describe the job and duties and the city and others can tell what people they know make in the same area. When they give national averages it won't help because it can be $100,000 difference between San Francisco and Boise. Also, I would not be surprised to find $20-30k differences in one area. Pay surveys can include newbies on up to 30 year people, and the same job may be far more critical for one employer than another so there will always be a range.
This is a case where anecdotal evidence from members will probably give the most realistic results. Just describe the job and duties and the city and others can tell what people they know make in the same area. When they give national averages it won't help because it can be $100,000 difference between San Francisco and Boise. Also, I would not be surprised to find $20-30k differences in one area. Pay surveys can include newbies on up to 30 year people, and the same job may be far more critical for one employer than another so there will always be a range.
Position: Contract Administrator
City: Chicago
Last edited by Pete MUFC; 12-30-2011 at 08:03 AM..
There is no ONE website that will give you a magic number. You need to put in a little effort yourself.
Start with the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Their figure usually represents the industry average--across all levels of experience, costs of living, etc. So the number they give represents someone with ~20 years of experience living in, say, Kansas City. If you have only 5 years of experience, do the math to reduce that figure by ~30%, then adjust for cost of living.
Another source is your alumni association or university career center, which usually keeps stats on their alumni, for at least a few years after graduation.
You can scan job boards for those few jobs that list a salary range. You may need to do math again to convert for years of experience or cost of living. Glassdoor is another source. Various websites like salary.com may be useful but do not use them alone--they overgeneralize job descriptions which usually results in inflated figures.
As for what websites employers use--they don't. Employers base their salaries on two things: 1) what they can afford to pay; and 2)what applicants tell them what they want to earn. Remember most employers receive dozens of applications a week, even when they aren't hiring. So they have a plethora of data telling them what the market demands. They don't need to use a website to figure out what to offer applicants and employees.
I think if you want some help with this you need to be a bit more specific. Do you want to work in the public or private sector? If the private sector, what kind of business or industry would hire one? Just what is a Contract Administrator and what do they do? That's just a title not a job description. I was a Market Developer and that title doesn't really indicate what I really did.
Give them a range and negotiate from there. When I took this most recent job, I had a few ideas going in. 1) I knew what I was making at my last company and I wanted to make more, 2) the new job required more regular duties, 3) I knew what a lot of my peers were making doing similar work.
So I gave this company a range for what I wanted to make AND what I thought was reasonable compensation. They came back with a figure on the lower-middle end of my range, so I negotiated with them and had the salary bumped up. It wasn't by much, but it was significantly better than what I was making 1 year before, or even 3 years before when I first started working after college. My salary has increased by about 50% over the last 3.5 years. That is how you play the game.
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